Category Archives: Nature Photography

It seems like just one post ago I was supposedly relearning that I will only get so many magic hours (dawn & dusk light) in my life, but just this afternoon I sat at my desk, trying to decide whether to haul a camera into the backyard or take off my shoes and lounge about the house. Continue reading →

Like this:

As I’ve mentioned many times, I’m trying to become a more ruthless editor. I got many well exposed, sharp images of bees in my backyard last week, but this one stood out as my favorite. I shared some of the others on Facebook, but I should not have done so. Others have said it: if you only show your best work, people come to believe you are a good photographer. So do you, and so you do. This will be my new editing mantra: There can be only one.

As I mentioned in the last post, I’m working with new software (Lightroom) and a new camera (Nikon D7100). Yesterday it occurred to me that I’m really working with three new cameras, because I’ve only had the Fujifilm X100s for slightly over a year, and the Nikon D610 for less than a year. I have not learned how to operate any of these cameras as comprehensively as I did my old Nikon D300, but I look forward to digging deeper.

Since the D7100 is newest and purpose-purchased for wildlife, I’ve taken it to Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve to learn how it works, and here is the main thing I have discovered: I need to start using a tripod or monopod, because 24 megapixels exaggerates my lack of steadiness when using the equivalent of a 510mm lens (200mm + 1.7x teleconverter on 1.5x cropped sensor = 510mm). I’ve gotten some sharp images, but a pretty low keeper rate so far. I’m not sure if I’m mis-focusing or shaking, but I’m working on it.

A Reddish Egret at Bolsa Chica. Also a very small part of the frame, because even 510mm equivalent is no replacement for actual proximity. This is when 24 megapixels really helps me.

Nikon D7100, 70-200 f/2.8, TC17eII.

Nikon D7100, 70-200 f/2.8, TC17eII.

High resolution really helps when I cannot get close.

Here is the full frame from which the above image was cropped.

Usually I fret that I have too much gear, but yesterday I had the opportunity to use all three cameras. I took a long walk with the FujiFilm X100s and got a couple of grab shots, used the D7100 for some backyard colors, and brought out the D610 when my son wanted a picture under a very complex lighting scenario.

I had set the X100s to full auto as a walk-around camera. When I stopped for a beer, I liked this scene and simply pressed the button. No muss, no fuss. And yes, the X100s has been used more in bars than any other location. Since I haven’t been going out much, the X100s has gotten little use in recent months.

Here’s the sort of serendipitous scene that reminds me to carry a camera. I fired the X100s from the hip while walking by. I love the fact that I can carry this lightweight, large sensor camera around my neck.

In the late afternoon, I stepped into the backyard with the D7100 and 105 f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor to see what I could see. What I saw were interesting colors. This is surely one of my favorite lenses, and delivers beautiful results on both camera bodies.

The Dancers. Nikon D7100, 105 f/2.8 Micro.

My son read an article about how the metrosexual was being supplanted by the “Lumbersexual,” and as he was working with a chainsaw in our front yard, he decided a photo was in order. The sun had gone down, so I grabbed the D610 and 85mm f/1.4. Even using the built-in flash with this backlit scene, the foreground was dark, but with lots of recovery latitude. All hail big sensors!

A lot of angst goes into each camera or software decision for me, but every piece of new gear also gets me to play and experiment like I did as a youngster, and that stimulates learning. I’m also somewhat amazed at how different my images look when processed through Lightroom rather than Aperture, which I used for years. I’m still not sure if the look is better, but it is very, very different. Guess I’ll just have to play more to learn more.

A rare problem – the birds were TOO CLOSE on this particular day at Bolsa Chica.

I traded my remaining D7000 for a D7100. Now I have, in effect, two versions of the same camera: the D7100 and D610. Almost identical in operation, but one DX sensor and one FX sensor. With my collection of DX and FX lenses, it’s a very versatile combination.

I’m using the D7100 for wildlife, the D610 for events and portraiture, and the Fujifilm X100s for travel. So far, so good, but it’s obviously cutting into my blogging time. Hopefully I’ll have more to report on the 24 megapixel dynamic duo soon. One thing I’ll be writing about: The buffer on the D7100 really let me down during a pelican feeding frenzy at Bolsa Chica. I’d be tracking the birds toward the water and the shutter would slow and then stop just before they struck. Very frustrating.

At the same time, I switched from Aperture to Lightroom for post-processing. The learning curve is steep for a lazy, disorganized, impatient photographer, but so far I like the results.

I’ve been reluctant to use the teleconverter lately, because it degrades image quality, but coupled with the 24 megapixel D7100, it really extends my reach. Nikon D7100, Nikon 70-200 f/2.8, Nikon TC-17eII teleconverter.

Here is a close-up from the image above. You can see the fishtail and its shadow. I could get used to all these pixels. Nikon D7100, Nikon 70-200 f/2.8, Nikon TC17eII teleconverter.

The D7100 is no worse than any camera I’ve owned for birds in flight, and might be the best. I’ll need more practice, and look forward to getting it. Nikon D7100, Nikon 70-200 f/2.8, Nikon TC17eII teleconverter.

On another note, I took a three-day weekend recently with just the X100s. Here’s my shadow in Mt. Shasta, California…